The Suns of Kaelyn VII
by ShootinSta
Summary: The Enterprise crew discovers a new planet...And Trip gets into a bit of trouble with law. After he meets someone in jail, running from the law will lead to something deeper.
1. The Banquet of Doom.

None of the _Enterprise_ characters are mine, though how I wish Trip was.

There will be another chapter or two. Yes. There will.

*********

The starship, the NX-01 _Enterprise _orbited silently around a Minshara-class planet named Kaelyn VII, the only inhabited planet in a trinary star system of eight. The _Enterprise_ had been in orbit for what seemed like hours and hours, as Sub-Commander T'Pol was insisting on contacting all planetary officials and downloading all information on the race's laws, as well as running scan after scan of the planet's surface. The crew was starting to itch to get down on the volcanic planet. 

"…Sub-Commander…Have you completed the scans of the atmospheric composition?" Captain Archer's voice was edgy. He'd been sitting in this chair for the last four hours listening to scan after scan. Hopefully, this was the last one.

"Yes Captain," the sub-commander's reply was brisk and collected, "The atmosphere is made up of fifty-nine percent nitrogen, thirty-three percent oxygen, six percent argon with the last two percent composed of a mixture of helium, carbon-dioxide, h—"

Archer raised his hand to silence the officer, "I get the idea, T'Pol, we can breathe the air. And we have permission to land our shuttlepods on the planet?"

"Ensign Sato has confirmed it with the Kaelynian Supreme Chancellor, who has prepared a banquet and she would like some our crew to attend, we may leave at eighteen-hundred-hours." 

Archer let out a sigh of relief. He'd finally be able to leave the bridge. His captain's chair was comfortable enough, but sitting there with T'Pol was a little too much for him. He'd been lucky this planet had been inhabited by a humanoid species, or else the Vulcan science officer would have had him send probes to scan six days worth of readings of the planet before he got to stretch his legs on a new world. The sound of a banquet in _Enterprise's_ honor seemed like a welcome idea. And he knew just the right person to invite along.

"Archer to Tucker."

"Yeah, Cap'n?" The chief engineer's southern drawl rang through the com system. 

"The Kaelynians have a party they'd like some of the crew to attend at eighteen-hundred-hours. Think you'd be interested?"

"Hell yes, sir! Y'mind if I invite Lieutenant Reed to come along?"

"Go right ahead, Trip. It'll save me a walk to the armory." 

*********

"I'm telling you, Commander, I heard the population was made up of _seventy-five percent women!_" Malcolm Reed's voice was persistent. Now that both he and Commander 'Trip' Tucker were invited to go down to Kaelyn VII, they'd been arguing in the mess hall about the rumors they heard about the Kaelynians. 

"So suppose that they all greet men by seducing them, since there aren't enough to go around on their own planet?" Trip's voice was sarcastic, but obviously the armory officer had heard _that _rumor as well.

"So I've been told, Commander," the British officer leaned across the table, "And I heard not just one will sleep with you, but a _dozen_ or two." 

Trip laughed heartily, shoving a forkful of catfish into his mouth. "Well, I wouldn't be so quick to jump at that chance, remember what happened with me and Ah'len? I ain't about to get knocked up again, Lieutenant."

"Oh no, that's not what I heard. Kaelynian women are fertile, are barely dressed and _look_—"

"Lieutenant! Who the hell are you getting all this information from?"

"People around the armory. They said they heard these things from the bridge crew, people who have seen the aliens right on the viewscreen!"

"That's bull, Malcolm, outright bull. Anyway, we'll see jus' what these Kaelynians look like. We only got two more hours before we go down. Wonder what the surface looks like…"

Reed's British accent chimed in once again, "Well, I heard…"

"Lieutenant, I'm goin'. I gotta get ready for this little get together." 

"But Commander…We have two more hours!"

"Yeah, well, I can't always decide what I should wear!" Trip dropped his fork and quickly exited the mess hall as quickly as he could. Another two hours of hearing all of these rumors would kill the chief engineer.

*********

Captain Archer, Sub-Commander T'Pol, Commander Tucker, Lieutenant Reed, Doctor Phlox and Ensigns Mayweather and Sato were grouped in the shuttlebay. They had been lucky to have so few going to the banquet – Doctor Phlox had managed to tell every patient in sickbay and patron of the mess hall about what was going on the planet. The crowd of people didn't show up, however – rumors of the specific time where quite varying.

"Commander Tucker," T'Pol's voice rang out in the bay, "Did you read the information I sent you on Kaelynian law?"

Trip was halfway in the shuttlepod when he heard the Vulcan and paused. "Ah, yeah? I sure did. And why are you askin' me and not any of the others?"

"Because you seem to…'throw caution to the wind' when it comes to alien cultures. I don't expect you to care for your behavior when it comes to 'parties', as you refer to this occasion, which has the potential to be very dangerous."

"Don't worry about me, T'Pol. I'll be the perfect gentleman." There was a silence. Trip knew it was too good to be true that the sub-commander would so easily give up. He was right.

"That's what you said when you went aboard the Xyrillian ship. I believe you returned pregnant."

Trip shoved his way into the shuttlepod. That was not an experience he wanted to relive. "I'm never gonna live that one down, am I?"

Lieutenant Reed leaned towards Trip, murmuring, "You know, Commander…I still haven't heard the whole story about what happened with that…"

"And you sure as hell ain't gonna hear it, either!" Trip grunted, before shouting towards the front of the shuttle. "Mayweather, can we please get this ride underway?" 

"Yes sir!" The resident space-boomer responded as soon as the captain nodded to Trip's question. The shuttlepod lifted off the launch bay floor. The craft was soon out of the doors and descending into the Kaelynian homeworld. Space and soon clouds rushed by them as they arrived in the alien landscape. The ensign was skilled in the operating of these craft, and it showed through.

The small landing party slowly headed out onto the planet and were greeted by a wave of dry heat. The planet's three suns shown in different sections of the sky, making the seven wonder how life could've evolved on this parched world. But it had, and though the ground looked like the Sahara Desert back on Earth, cobblestone walkways and flowers were everywhere. 

"Welcome to Kaelyn VII! I am the Supreme Chancellor, Ma'Takk." The female's voice was cheery; obviously glad the planet had visitors. "The council building is this way, the banquet is to be held there."

The small group of humans followed, Reed and Tucker lingering in the back. 

"I told you they had ridges!" Reed whispered, a proud look coming over his features.

Trip snorted. "Yeah. They have ridges on their nose and temples, _not_ on their—"

"Commander, quiet! Someone might hear you."

"Yeah, well, apparently the whole crew has heard rumors along the same lines." Trip looked over the passing Kaelynians. The race was about as tall as humans, with the same general structure, but with skin that was an extremely dark shade of brown. Their faces had small ridges at the nose, and around the side of the head that spread into the eyebrows. The species also had curious lines of purple and blue that ran down the sides of their faces and necks. "They don't seem to look half bad, though." 

"Not half naked," Reed murmured. "And that reminds me. You're wearing the exact same thing you were wearing in the mess hall."

Trip cursed. "Yeah, well, I figured this looked best on me."

The two of them were entering the council building right behind the rest. The structure was a huge, stepped-pyramid, with designs covering the jet-black exterior. Inside all of the halls made a dizzying maze. White stones created paths into almost every direction, even staircases were in an abundant supply. The Commander figured that there were directions on the walls, but he couldn't read a bit of the Kaelynian language. He'd be lost in two seconds if he weren't following everyone else.

"Wonder if Hoshi could fine her way around this place…" Trip muttered out loud, staring down every corridor they passed. 

His answer was abrupt, with T'Pol's glare on him. "Commander. It is impolite to speak in the halls of the council building. Wait until we are in the dining hall to…map the building. I thought you said you read the information I sent you."

"I guess I skimmed through that part." In fact, Trip had forgotten completely about the padd he'd been sent. He'd actually left it in the mess hall, since he'd abandoned it as soon as he saw Chef had made up some catfish. It wasn't like his mother made it, but it was good enough. Well, anyway, he figured he could muddle along without insulting the Supreme Chancellor any more. They seemed like a pretty forgiving species, anyway. He could get by breaking a custom or two…

When they entered the room were the banquet was held, Trip could've danced with T'Pol. The room was wall to wall with women, there was a table filled with exotic foods galore, and best of all, there was beer. Or, at least it looked like some kind of liquor. He slapped Lieutenant Reed on the back. 

"This is gonna be one hell of a party, Malcolm."

*********

About an hour later, the crew of the _Enterprise_ was starting to fit in quite well. Reed had found the Minister of Defense and the two of them were having a heated debate about whether the _Enterprise's_ phase cannons or the Kaelynian's plasma torpedoes were the best weapons. The two of them were on the verge of actually putting the two weapons to the test when Captain Archer decided to step in. 

Hoshi Sato was getting a language lesson with a group of Kaelynian teenagers, one of which kept slipping off to spike the punch, leaving the ensign a little tipsy. 

The rest of the crew was all mingling with the other Kaelynians at the banquet, all but T'Pol, who was quietly working on a report in a corner. No one seemed to bother the Vulcan, though Trip was on route to do such a thing when a Kaelynian female stopped him. 

"I don't believe I met with you. I am Breena, the Minister of Communication's wife."

Trip stopped in his tracks, glancing over the woman. She was dressed like most all the other Kaelynian women, wearing a brightly colored dress that seemed to be wound around her. He was quick to answer, seeing as a waiter was just offering T'Pol a drink. He had to see her response…

"Commander Charles Tucker the Third. Chief Engineer on the _Enterprise_." 

This seemed to interest Breena a great deal. "Can you tell me about your warp engines? Our engines only go to warp three, I hear yours go to warp fi—"

"Can you excuse me?" Trip was impatient, and when he moved away from the Kaelynian, he saw that T'Pol was alone, and without a drink. Damn, and he was hoping to coax her into a drink or two…

_"Son of a bitch!" _Trip shouted when the waiter knocked into him, spilling drinks all over his uniform. Everyone in the surrounding area gasped. The Minister of Defense quickly broke out of his newest argument with Reed (whether hull plating or shields could withstand a bigger blast) and made his way over to the Commander and wrenched the officer's arms behind his back.

"You're under arrest, Mr. Tucker."

"What the hell did I do? I just had cold drinks dropped on me!"

The Sub-Commander then made her way to the front of Trip. It was plain to see she was almost glad the engineer had been arrested. "You insulted the Supreme Chancellor's husband, and you insulted her mother-in-law. That act can earn you up to eighteen years in a Kaelynian prison." She paused, "I believe that, too was in the information I sent you."

"Well maybe I skimmed that part, too, damn it!" Trip shouted as he was jerked from the banquet hall. He was going to miss one hell of a party because he called someone a 'son of a bitch'? He suddenly hated this culture.


	2. Eighteen Years?

None of the Enterprise characters are mine, though how I wish Trip was.

Tell me how it's all going. Your thoughts and feelings about poor, misunderstood Trip.

*********

Commander Tucker struggled in vain against the guard who'd come to 'escort' him to his new home, probably, for the next eighteen years. The prison building loomed into view, an adobe-looking building that looked quite large. Several burly officers were standing next to the door, each holding a laser weapon in hand. Damn it, he had to curse aloud, didn't he? Trip scolded himself. Now he was going to jail. He idly wondered if you could post bail on this planet…

His thoughts were interrupted by a forceful shove to the back. The engineer tried to remember the path he was being lead down. Left…left…right…He lost track after that. It seemed to him that Kaelynians enjoyed mazes. He was roughly pushed into a cell near the back, or at least he thought it was near the back, of the compound. He stood up just in time to hear the 'click' of a lock. 

"Well I got myself into a real peachy situation, haven't I? Should've read the damn padd. I bet T'Pol's laughing her little green-blooded self to death," Trip started pacing the cell, hopelessly looking around his new surroundings. There was a stone bed jutting out of one wall, and "Whaddya know, I get a barred window all to myself, too! I can see all the free people outside. Maybe the Cap'n will bake me a cake with a file in it. I can saw my way out…"

"Do all humans escape from prison by baking cakes?" Trip almost fell over he spun around so fast. A Kaelynian woman in a guard's uniform was standing outside his cell. Screw diplomacy,

"Who the hell are you?"

She blinked, taking a step back. "I'm Kalizza. I've been assigned to your cell. I'm a guard here. What's your name?" 

Of course she was. Kaelynians were obviously not sexist when it came to jobs. Hell, their Supreme Chancellor was a woman! He remembered that distinctly. What man would be a waiter, when your wife is the most powerful person on the planet? "Sorry, s'pose I'm just a little on edge…That's all. I'm not thrown in jail too often. Ah, you can call me Trip…" 

"I need to be going. I'll give you your dinner in a few hours." 

Trip sighed. He supposed supper wasn't going to be pan-fried catfish, either.

*********

"Can you please release my officer from custody?" Captain Archer repeated the question for what seemed like the millionth time. He had returned back to _Enterprise_ after his chief engineer's arrest that caused the untimely end of the Kaelynian banquet. For the last half-hour he'd been asking the chancellor to let Trip go. He wasn't getting very far at all.

"I've already told you Captain," Supreme Chancellor Ma'Takk's voice was bordering on impatience. "He broke one of our laws. Disrespect to a chancellor or a chancellor's family means a prison sentence of nine years. Your officer insulted both my husband and my mother-in-law, meaning he will face eighteen years in our correctional facility."

Archer rubbed his eyes. His friend's antics had gotten him into a world of trouble this time. And it seemed that this woman was not going allow Trip to get off with a stern warning. "I assure you. My officer didn't know of that law. And the only reason he insulted your family to begin with was because your husband bumped into him…"

The chancellor's face grew stern. "Your sub-commander downloaded our laws and customs. If your officer did not read them, then all the more reason for him to be in jail. If you'd like to argue this judgment, our courts convene in one year to discuss matters. Now, I have more pressing issues to attend to. Good-bye Captain."

"I can't possibly wait—" the viewscreen cut off abruptly, leaving Archer to finish his sentence to the bridge crew, "an entire year! T'Pol, is there anything we can do?"

He turned to see the Vulcan, and swore she had a smug look on her face. Was it just him, or had she seemed more…upbeat since the engineer had been arrested? "I gave Mr. Tucker the information on their laws. There's nothing more I can do. If he had read the padd in first place he wouldn't be impriso—"

"Yes, T'Pol, I realize this. But we can't leave Trip down there for eighteen years!"

"I believe the Supreme Chancellor said we could send in a plea for his case in one year."

If Vulcans weren't so damn serious, Archer would have bet his captain's chair that T'Pol was being sarcastic. She seemed too eager to keep him gone… "Sub-Commander, that's not the point. We can't wait around for a year, either."

"Then I suggest we leave orbit for one year, and return when Mr. Tucker's 'parole' comes around."

Archer gave up the discussion, staring ahead at the view screen.

Mayweather cleared his throat, turning around in his seat to look at the captain. "Ah, sir? I'm guessing you don't want me to leave orbit just yet?"

"That's exactly right, ensign. Unlike our science officer, I'm not leaving Trip alone on that planet."

*********

Trip sat on the 'bed' in his cell, tossing small pebbles out the window. The past few hours had to have been the most boring in his entire life. If he was supposed to spend the next, God help him, eighteen years in jail then he'd better get some form of entertainment. Throwing rocks would only be fun until he hits someone, which would probably end up adding another few years to his sentence. Well, what a few more years, anyway? Chances were that the Enterprise wasn't going to set up shop for almost two decades in order to wait for one person to get out of jail. He was about to throw another rock out the window when he saw the female Kaelynian, Kalizza returning. 

"I've brought you some food," she stated as she neared the cell.

Trip groaned, "Thank you, ma'am! I'm starving. I didn't eat enough at that banquet…"

Kalizza looked almost embarrassed. She looked down at the tray in her hands and squirmed. "Well, you don't get any of those delicacies. But I don't think _L'massai_ soup tastes too bad." She slid the tray through a small slot between two of the bars. Trip quickly grabbed the bowl, then raised an eyebrow in question.

"It's blue."

"Yes. Is blue…bad for humans?"

Trip chuckled, stirring the spoon around in the blue liquid. "No. It's not." He took a skeptical sip of the soup. "Hell, it's not too bad. Sort of like a cross between tomato soup and chicken broth."

"What are…tomato and chicken?" Kalizza's voice was filled with confusion. She had taken a seat outside the bars. 

"Well…A tomato's a plant…er…And we eat its fruit. And a chicken is a bird that we eat…" He'd never had to describe what a tomato was. Hell, he wasn't sure if it even was a fruit. He'd never really gotten that whole debate. But he was sure that the Kaelynians couldn't check any references to make sure he was right or wrong.

Kalizza nodded, staring at Trip as he slowly ate his soup. "And earlier, you never answered my question. Do all humans escape prison by baking cakes?"

The engineer laughed, quickly pushing his soup aside. He shook his head, grinning at the guard. "No. I'm not sure if anyone actually escaped like that. But, the idea behind it is to bake a file in it, so you can sand down the bars and escape."

"Oh, okay then. Well, I'll be going." The Kaelynian stood up and turned around, but Trip's voice stopped her. 

"Hey, can I ask you a few questions? I have a friend back on the ship, and in eighteen years, I'd like to clear up some things for him."

Kalizza turned back around and smiled. Trip noticed how her brown eyes had started to glimmer. "Go ahead."

"How much of your population is female?" The commander grinned. After eighteen years of rumors flying around about this planet, they'll probably think the population is ninety-eight percent women…Not that rumor would be bad…The men on board would probably think he was a god, and hell, the women would think he had a god's experience. That would be a fun hour or two.

Kalizza looked taken aback by the question. She blinked before responding, "Well. About fifty-eight percent of the population, I think. Are there any more…questions?"

"Just one. Do the women or the men get pregnant?"

"The women. Who on your ship would want to learn about all of this? They seem to be rather…amusing questions. I hope you're not the one wanting to know all these things."

Trip chuckled. Well, he was a little bit interested in those answers himself, and the pregnancy question was of his doings…"A friend. His name's Malcolm. He's a Brit who permanently has a stick lodged up his ass." 

"That must be quite…painful for him."

"Oh no, no, no!" He slapped his knee, grinning ear-to-ear as he corrected the Kaelynian. He'd no doubt be able to confuse the woman with all these human expressions. Well, he could clear them all up during these next eighteen years… "It's just an saying. It means he's not the most agreeable person." 

Trip wondered if the guard was blushing. She smiled weakly. "Alright. I'll see tomorrow morning, Trip. I've neglected my duties enough."

"'Night." He picked up another stone from the ground and resumed tossing them out the window. He was in for a long night of tossing rocks outside and trying to sleep on a mattress that was literally a rock.

*********

"A little late for your duty shift, aren't you, ensign?" Archer's voice was sharp, but amused all the same. Ensign Sato looked a little worse for wear, a result of the punch her 'teachers' had her drinking earlier. 

"Can you…keep your voice down Captain?" Hoshi pleaded as she joined the others in the Situation Room. She leaned against a console, rubbing her temples as she tried to figure out why she hadn't stopped to see Dr. Phlox. Nevermind, she remembered. She heard the last person that went to him for a hangover had to swallow Tarenin ground worm…She wasn't even sure what one of those was.

The captain nodded, but Lieutenant Reed didn't seem to be listening to Hoshi's request for silence. "Captain! What are we going to do with Commander Tucker? We can't just _leave_ him there on that bloody desert-planet!" 

"Well we don't have many options, _Lieutenant_. It's either wait a year, or wait eighteen years. The Supreme Chancellor won't let him go." 

Reed slammed his hand down. Hoshi winced. Reed was not going to let this go. "So you're going to do this the blasted diplomatic way? I'll be damned if I let Tucker rot in that bloody cell for eighteen bloody years!"

"The Kaelynians have been nothing but kind to us, Malcolm. We can't go blasting down their buildings!" 

"They started this by not letting Tucker leave! They deserve to be blown down –"

"Lieutenant Reed –"

"Both of you just shut up!" Hoshi's voice cut into the mix, surprising the two men as well as all the others in the room. It was obvious how the argument would end. She had only been on the ship a few months, but she knew that Archer would do almost anything for Trip. "Captain, you know you want Commander Tucker rescued as much as Reed does. So just rescue him, god damn it!" 

Archer raised an eyebrow, before glancing over at Hoshi, then Reed. "Lieutenant, we may as well raid the weapons locker. It sounds like our hung over com officer has gotten a mind of her own."

"Captain?" Reed was disbelieving.

"Yes, Malcolm. We're getting Trip out of there."

*********

"I'm getting you out of here."

Trip's 'nap' was interrupted by Kalizza's voice. He must have been asleep for only five minutes. His neck was already stiff from trying to sleep on his bed. "What the hell are you doing?" 

Kalizza entered the cell, grabbing a hold of Trip's arm. She was continually glancing around, as if someone was going to lock her in there with him. "I'm breaking you out of jail. The other guard is asleep, and I'm supposed to be on watch. We only have an hour of darkness left."

"Huh? It _just_ got dark, not even an hour ago!"

"Exactly. There's only an hour and forty-four minutes in the Kaelynian night. We have three suns, remember?" 

Trip groaned, slowly making his way to his feet. Kalizza took his hand and started quickly leading him out of the compound. He still couldn't remember the way out. He couldn't understand this race's obsession with mazes. Hadn't they heard that the shortest distance between two points is a _straight line?_ And the fact that he hadn't been able to sleep all night wasn't helpful. He wondered if the Kaelynians only slept during the dark hours. Hell, he could use some of them on his engineering team if they needed only two hours of sleep.

They managed to slip past a snoring guard in the front hall and exit into the dry night air. The temperature hadn't dropped all that much, and the human felt thirsty just standing outside. It had been much cooler in his cell…

"We'd better run. Unless you want to be caught and have an extra thirty years added to your sentence for escaping from custody and kidnapping." Kalizza's voice was hushed. 

Trip stood there for a moment, wondering what she meant by 'kidnapping'. "Hey! I didn't kidnap you!" He yelled softly at the figure that was already running through the streets. He took off after the Kaelynian, musing to himself.

He went from a jailbird to being an all out fugitive. Damn, he loved this planet more and more with each passing second.


	3. They Dress Like That, Really!

None of the Enterprise characters are mine, though how I wish Trip was.

I was tired when I finished this up. It might be a little choppy…

*********

"Lieutenant, I really don't think this is a prudent plan of action." T'Pol stood in front of the armory officer, stony face showing hints of anger.

"The captain said he didn't want us blasting up the Kaelynians buildings, and from what the sensors read, there's only one guard."

The Vulcan frowned, before drawing her hood over her eyes and moving toward the prison complex. She and a small security team were settled one hundred feet and away and now she was starting the 'plan' to 'rescue' Commander Tucker from his imprisonment. She had no idea why she had been chosen for this foolish part, but the captain had ordered her on this foolish mission.

"Pardon me," she murmured, seeing the guard she was going to 'neutralize'. "But are you the only guard on duty?"

The Kaelynian male sat up in his seat and stared wide-eyed at T'Pol. "Yes ma'am!" 

The Vulcan put on the best smile she could muster and slid her hand down the guard's cheek. "Can you possibly leave your post to assist a lonely woman?"

"Yes ma—" His sentence wasn't even complete when he slumped over in his seat, T'Pol's hand lingering at his neck. She exited the compound, nodding to her companions that she had done her part. They rushed past her, phase pistols and flashlights in hand. That confused her – the only guard was unconscious and these humans were still expecting attack. 

"This way!" Reed's voice echoed through the building as he navigated the passageways to Tucker's holding cell. 

The security team ahead of her stopped short. Lieutenant Reed began tapping furiously on his scanner and flashing light into all of the nearby cells. All were empty. 

"Bloody hell! Where did that blasted engineer get off to?" 

T'Pol raised one eyebrow, an almost pleased expression coming over her face. "It would appear, Lieutenant, that Mr. Tucker has…flown the coop."

"Bloody…'ell."

*********

Commander Tucker was on the verge of collapse. His hostage, as she called herself, had kept him moving through the desert for what seemed like hours. He was thirsty, sweaty, and was in desperate need of sleep. He stopped in his tracks and wiped a hand across his forehead as he took a look around. There had to be a tree…or something he could rest under. "Hey, Kalizza?"

"Yes?" The Kaelynian stopped and turned around to look at her follower. 

"Think we can stop for a sec? I'm worn out."

Kalizza nodded, taking a seat on the hot sands. Trip, however, was a little pickier, choosing to hunt out a tree stump to sit on. He'd probably burn up sitting on that ground. His hostess shuffled through a pack, producing a small jug of water. The human wondered briefly when she had gotten that pack; he didn't remember seeing it before.

And he also began wondering when the woman started looking so damn attractive. Okay, so she was very much like all the other Kaelynian women, but she seemed…different. There was something about that dark skin and blonde hair that interested him. Hell, even the ridges and stripes were starting to look good. He wondered how far those stripes went down and if there really were ridges on her…

"Would you like some water, Trip?" His thoughts were interrupted by the innocent question. 

"Huh? Wha? Oh, yeah, thank ya," He quickly took the water jug and took a long sip. Damn, thinking about Kalizza like that was like thinking of T'Pol that way! Those three suns must be turning his brain into mush.

"Yesterday, I heard you say something about a woman named…T…T…" His companion stuttered over the name, but Trip knew exactly who she was talking about.

"T'Pol?" He chuckled. "Speak of the devil…"

The Kaelynian blinked. "I'll tell you about our underworld later. But first, can you tell me if T'Pol's a woman?"

"Yeah, she is. And you really don't have to tell me about your underworld. That was just another expression."

Damn, it was cute the way Kalizza was blushing… "Oh. Well, are you and T'Pol together?"

Trip's eye went wide, and he almost dropped the water jug. "Me and T'Pol? _Hell_ no! Damn, she has a stick shoved even farther…" He remembered the previous day's confusion about that expression and quickly changed his wording. "She's even more disagreeable than Malcolm. You couldn't pay me to date that Vulcan ice queen."

"She's a queen?"

"Uh, no. She's not. That was supposed to be an insult."

"Oh. Well aren't queens powerful…?" 

The poor girl obviously wasn't getting the point. "Nevermind. Well, I think I'm ready to go now…" 

She nodded, standing up and starting to walk away again. Trip sat there staring for a moment before shaking his head and following after her. He thought his cell was bad enough, but being attracted to the only company he had was going to make for a very long day or two. 

But in the back of his head, he wondered just why she was asking those questions about T'Pol.

*********

"What you mean my officer is missing? How the hell could he get up and disappear?" Archer leaned forward in his seat, staring at the picture on the viewscreen. The moment that Reed had returned and reported that Trip was missing, the captain had hailed the Supreme Chancellor for a 'status report'. The results hadn't been too pleasing.

"We believe he broke out of his cell," Ma'Takk responded. Her face was grim and it was obvious her liking for the _Enterprise_ crew had dropped in the past day. "We found one of our guards unconscious, and the other guard was missing. It's conceivable that she was visiting with your officer, and he kidnapped her."

Archer's face burned with anger. How could they accuse Trip of _kidnapping_ someone? "I really don't think Commander Tucker is the type to abduct someone, chancellor."

"Well we have one of our people missing, and a fugitive on the loose. We're going to get her back, using as much force as necessary. It was very _pleasant_ talking to you again, Captain Archer."

The screen cut off. "It seems, Captain, that Mr. Tucker skimmed through _several_ parts of the information I sent him. He must have believed that abducting a _female_ Kaelynian was allowed in their culture…" T'Pol's voice rang in his ears. 

"Sub-Commander. I am not in the mood for that right now. Start scanning for any human lifesigns so we can get him back up here."

"Captain, I'm sure the Kaelynians can handle Mr. Tucker well enough."

Archer took a deep breath. Sometimes he wasn't sure how well T'Pol was handling her emotions. "I don't want my chief engineer shot down, T'Pol…"

"He should have read the padd I sent him."

"T'Pol, find him. That's a direct order."

"If you insist, Captain. But this is Commander Tucker's situation, and he should deal with it."

Archer's mood was sliding down the drain and this bashing of Trip had it careening downhill. "_Sub-Commander_, find him right now. Don't make him suffer because you're upset he didn't read a damn padd."

"Vulcans suppress their emotions. I am not upset with Mr. Tucker."

Archer could barely suppress a 'fuck you' in the Vulcan's direction.

*********

Trip chewed on something that reminded him strongly of jerky. He and Kalizza had set up camp for the short hours of night, and both were eating what had to have been the first meal of the day. He had been trying to stop his growing temptation towards his companion, but with little luck. And on top all of that, he had a growing question on his mind.

"Hey, ah, Kalizza? Why'd you let me out of jail?" Now was as good a time as any to ask. And hell, the answer couldn't be too bad. 

Even with the light of the day dwindling, Trip could tell that she was blushing. "Well…I suppose…I'm…I'm attracted to you?" 

"Wha?" The jerky fell out of Trip hands. That wasn't an answer he expected.

"I think you're…cute? I've never seen an alien before…"

There was a long silence. The engineer simply stared at the setting suns in confusion. He was expecting 'I let you out because you didn't know the rules', not the answer that was just thrown at him. He needed to think for a while and sort a few things out. This was going make a difficult situation and he didn't need to –

Kiss? His eyes widened. Kalizza was kissing him. He found himself returning her affections before he jerked himself away. "Whoa, missy. Now, I don't even know if were compatible like…that. So just, hold on."

The Kaelynian blinked, then turned away. "I'm sorry. I should have expected this."

"Hold on. What the hell are you talking about?"

"You don't share my feelings."

Trip paused. How could he possibly answer that question? He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Deny his feelings, and have an uncomfortable relationship with Kalizza, or accept them…and who knows what the hell could happen. "Now, I never said that…"

She kissed him again. Aw, hell. He couldn't take this anymore. He reluctantly began returning the kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist. For the second night in a row, he wasn't going to be getting much sleep.

*********

Captain Archer had been on the bridge all day long. T'Pol had finally convinced him to go to his quarters, but he couldn't possibly sleep. His chief engineer was a fugitive and was no where to be found. 

"Porthos, what am I going to do, buddy?" He tossed a bit of cheese in the dog's direction. The dog was in the middle of his yipping reply when Malcolm Reed's voice came over the com.

"Reed to Archer."

"Archer here. What do you have to report?"

"Captain, we've found a human signature. There are also dozens of Kaelynian signatures within a twenty kilometer radius."

A small smile spread across Archer's face. "Reed, get a shuttlepod down there and let's get our chief engineer back."

"Yes, sir!"

*********

The first of the system's three suns was rising over the horizon when Lieutenant Reed landed the shuttlepod on Kaelyn VII's dusty ground. He immediately jumped out and took a running start towards where sensors had read a human lifesign. He was surprised to find Trip in his Starfleet-issue bright blue undershirt; his uniform partially zipped up with a half-dressed Kaelynian woman.

"Commander Tucker?" He almost couldn't believe his eyes. This certainly was not a 'gentlemanly' course of action for the engineer.

"Holy shit! Malcolm!" Trip's eyes went wide as he caught sight of the armory officer. He quickly zipped his uniform up the rest of the way. "How'd you find me?"

"Sensors…found you." The Lieutenant still didn't quite know what to say. His only thought was that he wished he had brought T'Pol along.

Trip grinned weakly, "Hey, Malcolm, I'll be with you in just one second."

The armory officer shook his head and started walking back to the shuttle. Well, as soon as the commander came back, he'd have some explaining to do.

*********

"Listen, I gotta go." Trip's eyes were glued on the shuttlepod that wasn't too far away. 

"But...Trip..." Kalizza looked devastated. She turned around and began picking up some discarded pieces of clothing. She took a deep breath. "Good-bye, then."

Tucker kissed her cheek gently and started walking off. "Listen, 'Lizz, I'll try and stop by the next time I'm in the system. I don't think the authorities would be too happy with me, considering I kidnapped you and all, but I'll try."

He never got a reply. Trip made his way into the shuttlepod and sat down in the back. Reed turned around from the helm. "Malcolm, you better not say a word."

"I'm just wondering why the two of you were half dressed, Commander." Malcolm voice was saturated with amusement. 

Trip drummed his fingers on his knee, glaring at the other officer. "You were right, when they're not in parties, the Kaelynian women run 'round half-naked. And have _you_ ever been in one-hundred-degree weather with these damn jumpsuits on? You'd like to take it off too."

"Whatever you say Commander."

"Don't make me beat the shit out of you, Lieutenant. Captain's not here to stop me."

"I can drop you off at the prison if you like."

Trip snorted, glaring at Reed. "Hey, I have another rumor I need to correct. You know how you said the population was seventy-five percent female? You were wrong."

"And what's the real number, Commander?"

"Ninety-eight percent. And all of those love criminals."

Trip rode back to the ship in silence. He could have his fun until T'Pol found out what he said and corrected him in front of a large crowd and scolded him for a rumor she heard about being found half-dressed with woman. Boy, he'd never live that down. 

The only thing that he should've known was that the rumor about Kaelynian women being very fertile was _very_ true. 

(Ah. Don't you love how I end this fic? It'll torture you until I expand the story…)


End file.
